One of the best
drills you can do on your Newgy robot (or in any practice
session) is a smashing drill. On the Newgy robot, smashing
drills are easy to do, because the robot gives you a
consistent ball to smash, and keeps giving you ball after
ball. With a live practice partner, the rally would end
after most smashes.

By giving you a
consistent ball, the robot allows you to work out the kinks
in your stroke, knowing that any mistakes are because of
your technique, not because of your practice partner giving
you variable returns (i.e., different placement, speed,
height, depth, trajectory, or spin).

Because you get
to do the stroke over and over with no stopping of play,
you get a far more efficient workout than if you have to
stop after each shot while someone fetches the ball. It is
this constant repetition that enables you to develop a
"repeating stroke," one that you can do over and over in
any situation.

Once you have
perfected the smash against the robot, you should practice
against live competition so that you can learn to adjust to
variable returns.

All the
practice on the robot isn't going to help too much if your
smashing technique is incorrect. In fact, practicing a poor
technique makes it that much more difficult to change later
on.

Using the
robot, you can practice smashing against both topspin and
backspin. The shots are similar, but with a few key
differences.

SMASHING: The
Basics

It is assumed
that you have a decent forehand drive (Editors
note: also known as counter, hit, or counter-drive)
already, and can hit forehand-to-forehand somewhat
consistently. What is the difference between a regular
forehand drive and a smash?

Obviously, it
is the speed of the ball that you are trying to maximize,
while still controlling the shot. To maximize power, you
need to use your entire body, especially the legs, waist,
shoulders and forearm.

Backswing: Twist your waist around more than usual, so
that you are nearly facing sideways. Bring your racket
farther back than usual, with most of your weight on your
back foot.

Even if the
ball is very high, backswing almost straight back, then
raise the racket to the proper height. The backswing and
the raising of the racket should be one continuous motion.
This enables you to keep better balance.

Forward
swing: Start forward swing with the legs, then the
waist, then the shoulders, and lastly the forearm. There
should be a powerful forearm snap just before contact.
(Editors note: this sequence of muscular
contractions is very important for maximum acceleration.
Start by pushing your weight forward with the back leg,
then twist your waist and shoulders into the ball, and then
snapping the forearm forward. If you start one muscle group
too early or too late, your power will be greatly
diminished.)

Contact:
Sink the ball straight into the sponge so that it sinks
through to the wood. There should be a loud wood sound.
Make sure to hit downward on high balls. Whenever possible,
hit the ball at the top of the bounce. (Editors
note: this increases your margin for error and provides
more possibiities for placing your shot.)

Try to keep the
racket angle constant around the contact point, or you will
lose control. Preferably, your racket angle should have
been decided before you start the forward swing. It is okay
to close your racket some as you swing forward, but never
open your racket as you smash, or you will get an
out-of-control backspin shot that will usually fly off the
end. (This can be used against a high, short ball, but is
not really necessary.)

Follow-through: Let the racket follow through naturally
forward.

SMASHING AGAINST
TOPSPIN(See Photo
9 in Coaching Article Archives)
You will have to close your racket slightly against
topspinaim slightly downward. Against a somewhat high
topspin, you should start your forward swing with the
racket slightly above the contact point, and hit slightly
downward. The harder you hit the ball, however, the less
the spin will take on your racket, and the less you have to
worry about the spin. Watch for the sudden bounce as the
incoming ball hits the table - the topspin will make the
ball take a fast, lower bounce.

SMASHING AGAINST
BACKSPIN
(See Photo
16 in Coaching Article Archives)
The main difference in smashing against backspin is that
you may have to start with your racket either directly
behind or even slightly below the ball. Against a
relatively low backspin ball, or against one with extremely
heavy backspin, you will start with the racket slightly
below the ball and stroke slightly upward. The harder you
hit the ball, the less you will have to do this.

You can smash a
backspin ball just as you smashed against a topspin ball,
sinking the ball straight into the sponge and to the wood.
However, you will get more control (but less speed) if you
hit the ball with a slight upward motion, hitting the ball
with more of a glancing blow, creating some
topspin.

A ball with
backspin does not bounce out very much, so stay close to
the table. Normally, you should hit the ball at the top of
the bounce, but many players hit backspins on the
risesacrificing some speed for quickness. By hitting
the ball on the rise, the ball also tends to bounce upward
off your racket, helping you combat the backspin. This is
especially effective for pips-out players.